NY Rangers may split up Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik

Brad Richards may no longer have Marian Gaborik on his line if Rangers coach John Tortorella follows through with some tinkering. (Ron Antonelli/New York Daily News)

When the Rangers signed him to a nine-year, $60 million deal, center Brad Richards was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle that fit next to right wing Marian Gaborik.

So far, however, he has fit like a square peg in a round hole.

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And yesterday, John Tortorella seemed to be conceding that they might not turn out to be the top-line combination that looked so good on paper. After breaking them up in the third period of the home-opening loss to the Maple Leafs Thursday night, Tortorella again had them on different lines at practice yesterday. It is likely they will not start on the same line today at the Garden when the Rangers (3-3-2) take on the Senators (5-5-0).

Is it a short-term jolt to a struggling offense that has scored 16 goals in eight games (tied for 29th in the NHL), or is this a long-term change?

"I am not going to give you that answer if I think that is the right situation to have Richie and Gabby play together," Tortorella said.

"You can't get glued in gotta get that to work, because you are sacrificing some other things, something else that might work," Tortorella said. "We definitely don't have all the answers to that in our mind yet. I think we're becoming clearer, but we still don't have all the answers, because it's still very early."

Gaborik, who has four goals and an assist, has been through this before and believes it will work out.

"If we play together at times, we just have to make the most of it," Gaborik said. "I know that the lines tend to change quite a bit here; everybody is used to it. Whoever is on that line just ha s to get it working."

"I've never played with a player who can beat people by himself like that, with his skates. That's what's a little different for me," Richards said. "Sometimes you can give it to him anywhere on the ice, he can beat people just on speed."

"It doesn't mean it doesn't work. It's just different," Richards said. "I met him a month ago, for the first time in my life. We've got to be realistic."

Richards, who has one goal and four assists in eight games, played for Tortorella in Tampa and understands the move.

"Obviously, offensively our team is not clicking overall, some individuals have had good games and stuff like that, but as a player, if things aren't going good, change is sometimes what you need," Richards said. "Maybe you get a different look, maybe to get away from someone for a little bit. If it was working, there would be no line changes. It's simple."